Multiple-drop station for cable-carrier apparatus.



G. A. AMSDEN. MULTIPLE DROP STATION FOR CABLE CARRIER APPARATUS APPHCATION FILED MAY 8. l9l4 Patentd Feb. 6,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.-

11.7 [Zziarney lf ises. I I I v ma(&-)

G. A. AMS-DEN.

MULTIPLE DROP STATION FOR CABLE CARRIER APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY B, 1914.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

mess 5.

,By I

G. A. AMSDEN.

' MULTIPLE DROP STATION FOR CABLE CARRIER APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. 1914.

1,215,234. Patented Feb. ,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

502/11 eased.

127 yen Z01". fwg Q. din-J By 4 274 mr mwms pawns cc.. Pnam-uma. WASHING mrv. u a

GEORGE A. AMSDEN, or LITTLETON, ASSACHUSETTS, nssreivon To THE LAMSON COMPANY, 013 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A conronATIon or NEW JEnsEY.

MULTIPLE-DBO]? STATION FOR, CABLE-CARRIER APPARATUS Specification of Letters'Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

Application filed a 8,1914. Serial No. 837,297.

To all :w/wm it may concern;

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. AMSDEN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at.

Littleton, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented cer paratus and more especially to what I have termed a multiple drop station for apparatus of this description. I

The principal object of the present invention is to provide means to serve a plurality of stations, preferably at different levels, from a high-line track.

Another object has been to so devise a system of this character, that in spite of the complications introduced by the service of such a plurality of stations, a liability of collision between carriers, or between carriers and movable parts of the apparatus, which would give rise to trouble in the operation of the system, may be avoided.

A still further object has been to provide for the despatch of carriers in such an ap paratus, so that substantially all possibility of injury to the operators is obviated. These and other objects of my invention will be hereinafter referred to and the novel means and combinations of elements whereby said objects may be attained will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, I have exemplified a preferred construction; but as I am aware of various changes and modifications which may be made herein, without departing from the spirit of my invention, I desire to be limited only by the scope of said claims.

Referring to the drawings:'

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of my no'velmultiple drop station.

Fig. 1 is a similar view of-a second multiple drop station, which maybe in the line with the first; but which is intended to serve but two stations, whereas, the construction shown in Fig. 1 serves three.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail section taken on line IIII of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar section taken on line III III of Fig.1.

' Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail elevation of an upper station or service point shown in Fig. 1. I

Fig. 5 is a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 4.

' .Fig. '6 is a section taken on line VIVI of Fig. 4:.

Figi 7 is a detail of a fragment of the track shown in Fig. l, viewed from the line VII-VII.

1 Fig. .8 is a bottom view of the preferred carrier, and K Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 1, of a modification.

The mainline comprises two tracks both of which are preferably so disposed as to convey carriers with the planes of the bottoms thereof substantially horizontal; the upperftrack 1 being that along which carriers are despatched from a central station or desk (not shown) to the sub or clerks stations shown in Figs. 1 and 1 while the lower track 2 conveys carriers which are despatchedfrom these clerks stations to the said main or central station.

A preferably continuous cable 3 travels in the direction of the arrows indicated adjacent thereto ancl constitutes the means for propelling the carriers along the main tracks 1 and 2.

In the preferred form of my apparatus this same cable also constitutes the means for raising carriers from the respective substations to the track 2; but I desire it to be distinct-1y understood that I do not limit myself .tosuch an arrangement of the cable. A single or unitary cable such as is herein shown'is greatly to be preferred, however, since by merely looping it down through each multiple drop station, a continuously driven; means for despatching carriersfrom the plurality of points in such multipledrop station is provided with substantially a minimum number of operative parts."

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 andl the lower limb of the cable 3 is therein shown as passing downwardly around the pulley 4 and being looped at the bottom of the multiple drop station, around a pulley .5, and thence up to the mainline and around a pulley or idler 6 untilit reaches the next drop station,

showninfFig. 1, where it again passes downwardly around a pulley 4 and thence around pulleys 5 and 6 of this portion of the cable apparatus, and so on through a series of single or multiple drop stations until it reaches the central desk, whereupon it is looped around back in the usual fashion to form the upper limb of the cable shown in the drawings.

Above the tracks 1 are switches 7, which need not be herein particularly described as they are of well known construction and have been more particularly considered in the Patent No. 960,617, granted to me June 7, 1910. Suflice it to say, therefore, that the carriers, designated 8, are provided with laterally extending lugs 99, certainpairs of which are adapted to be received between the pairs of metal strips which con stitute the switch parts proper of the switches 7, and since these latter diverge from the track 1, the carrier, whose lugs may so engage in a given switch, is selectively removed from the track 1 through a suitable aperture in the track; the carrier being freed from'the cable 3 by a cam 10 and cable releasing bracket 11 in a known manner, and being delivered to an independent track 12, down which it falls by gravity for a determined distance.

Aside from the pluralization of the sets of lugs 9, or the equivalent pluralization of the switch bars in the manner hereinafter described, the next important change in this portion of the apparatus, from the construc tion disclosed in my said patent, will now be discussed. 7

It has been customary heretofore when a carrier was so freed from the cable and allowed to drop down such an independent track, to thereafter permit said carrier to continue on its way down to the station solely under the influence of gravity. To check the descent of such a falling carrier various eXpedients have been resorted to, such for example, as providing a spring which will cause the tracks to frictionally oppose to a limited extent the downward movement of the carrier; but where a drop of perhaps several floors may occur, as in the present construction, such methods of checking the speed of the descending carrier, acted upon as it is by gravity which constantly tends to accelerate such speed, are not wholly desirable. Accordingly in the present construction the drop track 12 of the multiple drop station is preferably veered in toward the descending limb of the cable in the station, and a cam 18, such as is commonly used to'effect the engagement of the carrier grip with the cable, is disposed adjacent the track 12 at a point where it be comes substantially alined with the descending cable, to effect a reengagement of the carrier with the cable.

Thereafter, of course, the carrier can drop no faster than the cable is moving, so that gravity will exert substantially no effect upon said carrier in so far as accelerating the speed thereof is concerned. For con venience of description the several stations shown in Figs. 1 and 2 have been respectively designated A, B, C, D and E.

Assuming now that the carrier, which has been removed from track 1 by the switch 7, which is disposed above stations A, B and C, is destined for station A.

Said carrier will need but a single pair of the lugs 9, adapted for engagement with said switch, and such carrier after having been reengaged with the descending limb of the cable in the manner above described, will be conveyed down past stations 0 and B, until it reaches a cable releasing cam 14, after passing which said carrier will drop by gravity into the loop at the lower extremity of the track 12, precisely .the same as if it had been delivered to a drop station of the type described in my said patent.

The said carrier may be removed from this loop at the freeend 15 of the track 12 and it may be despatched from station A in the .usual fashion, by inserting it into the space above the pulley 5 and thereafter 111-- troducing its track engaging lugs 16 through a suitable aperture in or spreading of the rails of thetrack at 17. The carrier be ing despatched from station A is engaged with the ascending limb of the cable 3 in the usual fashion by raising said carrier up past the grip opening cam 19 until its pivotally mounted jaw 18 strikes the cam 19 and is'forced thereby around into engagement with the cable, after which said cable will draw the carrier up past stations B and C and over the gap 20 on to the main track 2; said gap 20 being provided to permit of the passage of through carriers traversing track 2 past stations A, B and C.

The present apparatus preferably embodies the spreading track cross-over device disclosed in my application, Serial Number 816,707, entitled cable carrier apparatus and filed February 5, 191 1; but for convenience the particular construction of this cross-over device may here be briefly referred to.

The free end of the track 2 adjacent the gap 20, above referred to, is preferably rigidly connected to the resilient bent rod or combined track support and guide 21. Any carrier being drawn up by the ascending limb of the cable in a multiple drop station will, as the body thereof encounters the rods 21, wedge said rods apart slightly, as the carrier approaches gap 20; and this action, by reason of the .rigid connection between rods 21 and the adjacent ends of track 2, forces said track ends apart to permit of the ascending carrier passing therebetween,

around pulley 6 and onto the section of track beyond the gap.

Immediately after-the carrier has passed these spread portions of track 2, the latter resiliently return to their normal positions so that the ends thereof are alined with the adjacent rails of track 2 on the other side of the gap 20. Hence through carriers traversing this track past any given multiple drop station will be able to pass by their own momentum over the space between pulleys 4- and 6 and on to the next adjacent section of the track 2; the lugs 16 of such a carrier passing through the gaps 20 between the rails of the track 22, up which carriers ascend from stations A, B and C, and the preferably slightly downwardly bent ends of the rails of the section of track 2 immediately beyond such gap.

These through carriers have their grips released from the cable 3 by a grip opening cam 23, in a known manner, before they pass over the pulley 4 of any given multiple drop station; and the section of track 2 beyond the gap 20 is preferably depressed, as at 2,

so asto cause such through carriers to dip down toward the cable and at the same time bring their grips into engagement with the grip closing cam 24, thereby reengaging said through carriers with the cable, in a manner described in my said application.

Assuming now that a carrier traversing the track 1 is destined for station B, such carrier may be provided with two pairs of lugs 99', and those designated 9 first will encounter the switch 7, whereby to remove said carrier from track 1 and deliver it to the drop track 12, in the manner above described.

This carrier will pass station C, since while it is provided with a plurality of sets of disengaging lugs 99, neither of these sets is adapted for engagement with the switch strips 25 disposed at station C; but, one of the sets of the said lugs, namely those marked 9, will be received between the guide or switch strips 25' of the station B, so that the said carrier will again be switched out of engagement with the cable, this time while traversing a vertical track instead of a horizontal one.

It is preferable, in this case, to provide hinged tip-out track sections 26 in the drop track 12, as best shown in Fig. 4, to permit of the withdrawal of such a carrier from said drop track by the switch.

Tip-out sections 26 are pivotally connected, as at 27, to the end of the rails of the section of track 12 which is directly thereabove, and may be connected together by the bracket 28, to which is attached a spring 29 which normally holds sections 26 in the position in which they are shown in Figs. l and 5.

\Vhen a carrier is drawn laterally away from the track 12 by the switch 25' (or the pivoted sections 26 corresponding to the switch swing to the right as shown in Fig. l; spring 29 yielding to permit of this action and the cable 3 being pulled to the right, out between the rails of track 12 until it engages the cable freeing bracket 30, which latter is substantially the same as the bracket 11, above referred to.

The carrier destined for station B passes from the switch 25 on to a receiving track 31; the upper extremity of the rails of which are pointed so that they may enter freely into the spaces between the lugs 16 and the guide flanges 16 of the carrier.

For similar reasons the upper extremities of the rails of the section of track 12 which are directly below any given pair of pivoted sections 26, are correspondingly pointed, as at 32, which insures the safe passage of a descending carrier which is not to be removed by the switch adjacent such pivoted sections.

VJ hen a carrier which has been drawn away from track 12 by the switch 25, in the manner above described, has been thus entered upon the receiving track 31, a grip opening cam 33 above the cable freeing bracket 30 effects the requisite opening of the pivoted jaw 18 to enable bracket 30 to perform its function of withdrawing the cable from between said pivoted jaw and the relatively fixed jaw 18 of the carrier, so that I thereafter the carrier moves along the receiving section or shelf rods 31 by gravity until it comes to rest in a looped portion of this track, from whence it may be removed in the usual manner at the extremity of said track shown to the left in Fig. 1.

In similar fashion a carrier destined for station C will be provided with the lugs 9 which engage the switch 7 of the main track above station C, and such track will be delivered to drop track 12, and reengaged with the descending limb of the cable by the cam 13, in the manner above described; but in this case the carrier has the auxiliary switch lugs 9 disposed for engagement with the switch 25; said lugs 9 being of course differently disposed with respect to lugs 9 than are the lugs 9 of the carrier which delivers to station B.

The switch 25 delivers to a receiving track 31, which may be identical with the track 31 previously referred to, and station 0 may also be provided with a cable freeing bracket 30, grip opening cam 33, and pivoted sections 26, etc.

In general, of course, it will be obvious that as many stations A, B, C, etc., may be provided at different levels as it may be found convenient to provide graduations upon the carriers.

Obviously carriers which are destined for stations E or D will not have lugs 9 adapted f:- engagement with the switch 7 above stations A, B and C; but will have corresponddrop station, I prefer to use a chute such ing guide lugs properly disposed upon the sides of the carriers destined either for stations D or E. Said carriers will be removed from track 1 by the switch 7 above these latter stations, in the same fashion as carriers destined for stations A, B and C were removed. In like manner also carriers descending the track 12, shown in Fig. 1*, will be selectively delivered to stations D and E in accordance with whether or not there is present upon any given one of said carriers a set of lugs adapted for engagement with the switch 25 of station E.

In the system shown station A is what is known as a No.4 station; that is, one corre sponding to the fourth graduation from the bottom. Station B is, in like manner, a No. 5 station; station C, a No. 6; D, a No. 2; and E, a No. 3.

The manner of despatching carriers from station A has already been considered and carriers may be despatched from station D in the same way.

Of course carriers could be despatched from the upper stations in a similar fashion; but owing to the likelihood of a carrier, being despatched, interfering with a carrier en route up the track 22 of a given multiple has been disclosed in my joint application with Charles P. Hidden, Serial Number 833,632, filed April 22, 1914, and entitled Chute type station for cable carrier apparatus.

In the present instance the chute has been slightly modified to better adapt it to the service in question, and the preferred form thereof is best shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Herein the chute comprises a guide bar 34, which is adapted for engagement with the upper edge of the carrier receptacle; this rod being substantially in the middle of the chute, which latter, as shown in Fig. 5, curves around laterally so as to permit of the insertion of the carrier from a point quite widely spaced from the running parts of the apparatus.

Upon either side of the rod 34 is an angle 35, the angular recess in which is adapted to receive and guide the lateral portions of the edge of the carrier receptacle; angles 35 and rod 34 co-acting to deliver the carrier smoothly and properly disposed with respect to the track 22, the latter, at each of these stations, having recesses 36 therein through which may pass the lugs 16 of any carrier delivered to this track by one of said chutes.

The ends of the track rails upon either side of the gaps 36 are preferably connected by brackets 37 so that the rigidity of the track 32 is not impaired.

In order to facilitate the introduction of the carriers into the chutes, the latter are 1,215,.eaa

preferably provided with short rail sections 38 which are bent to conform to the rod 34; and these rail sections are entered into the recesses upon the respective sides of a carrier, between lugs 16 and flanges 16 when a respond to the chute down which the carrier is being allowed to fall by gravity, the latch 39, shown in Figs. 4 and 5, will be in its open position and the carrier will drop freely therepast into engagement with track 22, its lug 16 passing through the apertures 36 in the manner above described. After the carrier is once firmly in engagement with track 22 its movable jaw 18 encounters a grip'closing cam 40, below the apertures 36, so that the carrier grip is engaged with the ascending limb of the cable. and the car will thereafter be drawn up and around idler 6, in the same manner in which carriers despatchedfrom station A are emplaced upon track 2. The latch 39 is normally held in its open position by a spring 41, but a rod 42 extends downwardly from said latch to a crank 43 mounted upon a short shaft 44, journaled in a bracket 45, secured to the respective tracks 12 and 22; and this shaft 44 carries an operating arm 46, which is pivotally connected at 47 to a bar 48, the other extremity of which is correspondingly pivotally connected at 49 to a supporting and guiding arm 50, which latter is pivotally mounted at 51 upon a bracket 52, below the bracket 45.

By reason of the way in which bar 43 is mounted it will always be moved parallel to itself, either to the right, as viewed in Fig. 5, by the, engagement of an ascending carrier therewith, or to the left through the action of spring 41, when said carrier has cleared said bar. This movement of the bar will of course correspondingly actuate latch 39 through the inte'rmed-iacy of rod 42, so that when the bar has been thus driven outwardly by a carrier approaching the station as it ascends track 22, such movement of the bar will position latch 39 so that its hooked ing to the fact that the ascending carrier has nearly reached the opening 36 before latch 39 is allowed to open, and the carrier being despatched must drop through an appreciable distance before it reaches the opening 36. Each of the stations B, C and E is thus provided with the chute and with some suitable means, such as that above described, for preventing a collision between any carrier being despatched at one of these stations and any carrier which has already been despatched at a station at a lower level.

Finally provision is made for preventing a possible collision between a carrier ascending from any one of the stations in a multiple drop station apparatus, and a carrier en route along the track 2 past said apparatus.

To this end a bar 53, as shown in Figs. 1 and 1 is extended in parallelism with track 2, being pivotally suspended by arm 54 from a rock shaft 55 to which is connected at one end thereof an operating rod 56, which, as best shown in Fig. 2, operates a crank arm 57 mounted upon a small rock shaft 58 which carries a movable grip opening cam 59.

The shaft 55 is normally rocked by a spring 55 coiled thereupon, into a position in which the attached rod 53 is disposed in the path of passing carriers. Whenever a through carrier is approaching the gap 20 at which a collision might take place, said carrier will first engage the bar 53 and swing the latter aside out of the path of said carrier. This action causes the cam 59 to move to its dotted line position shown in Fig. 2, so that if any carrier is ascending the corresponding track 22, the grip of such carrier will be opened by cam 59 and the carrier will drop back bygravity until it encounters a grip closing cam 60, which may be similar to the cam 19, shown in Fig. 8; the upper edge of said cam in the present case serving to force around the pivoted jaw 18 of the carrier grip into engagement with the cable.

When the carrier has thus been reengaged with the cable it will be again moved up toward the gap 20 and owing to the lapse of time since it was first freed from the cable, the carrier en route along track 2 will have had ample time in which to clear the point at which a collision might have occurred.

If, however, a second carrier is traversing track 2 to the rear of the first, and this second carrier might collide with the carrier ascending upon track 22, the latter will be freed from the cable as it reaches cam 59. If there be'a second carrier immediately behind this carrier being so freed, the second carrier will merely in turn be freed by a second grip opening cam 61 which is controlled by a vertically disposed parallelly moving rod 62 which corresponds in function and mode of operation with the rod 53 above described.

In this case, however, the said rod 62 cO- acts with a substantially vertical track instead of a horizontal one, in so far as the efiecting of movement thereof by passing carriers is concerned. I

Furthermore, it will be noted that as rod 62 is'mounted upon arms 63-64; and that since the shaft 65 of the latter of these itself carries the movable cam 61, a carrier in engagement. with rod 62 may effect the movement of a second carrier directly behind the first and on the same track in contradistinction to another and distinctly different track.

Thus whenever the track section immediately adjacent rod 62 is occupied the blocking or block guarding cam 61 becomes operative to prevent a collision between this preceding and temporarily detained carrier and the one later despatched. This later or rear carrier after it has been released from the cable by cam 61, falls by gravity until it engages a cable grip closing cam 60, whereafter it resumes its journey.

It will thus be seen that I have developed a system in which instead of providing, as has been customary heretofore, a plurality of entirely independent drop stations each leading down from a high-linetrack to some particular station, and each of said stations being, possibly, at a different level, I have devised such a modification of my apparatus, shown in my Patent No. 960,617, as to permit of the service of two or more stations at different levels from thehigh-line track, by means of a unitary drop station construction.

The cross-over provisions in a system of this description are of much greater importance than would be such provisions had they been used in the apparatus shown in my said Patent No. 960,617, since, in that case the distance which a carrier has to travel down to and through a station and thence out therefrom, involved usually but a matter of a few feet, whereas, in such a construction as is herein shown, it may be desirable to dispose the high-line track at an upper. floor of a building, and to locate a plurality of stations, each directly below the other, at successively lower floors in said building.

In this case the fact that a carrier en route past these stations over track 2, can in eifect, jump the gap between the pulleys 1 and 6, and need not follow the cable down through the lower level stations, results in a saving of a considerable period of time which would be lost were the carrier obliged to follow the cable down relatively long drops and thence up again.

In Fig. 9 I have illustrated a modification of my system, in which in lieu of providing a plurality of different switching lugs, or sets of lugs, upon a carrier, I have instead employed a plurality of sets of switching bill's;

In this case, as in the former, the cable 3 travels in the direction of the arrows indicated adjacent thereto and the carrier 8 traversing the upper track 1, will have the lugs 9 thereof engaged by the elements of the upper switch 7, which deliver said carrier to the track 12 in the manner above described, and when this carrier encounters the single set of switches 25 at station B, it will be removed from track 12 by reason of the engagement of this same set of lugs 9 with said second switch. Thereafter said carrier will come to rest upon'track section 31, as in the previously described cases.

A second carrier destined for station A would be identical with the preceding carrier except that its switch lugs would be set down sufficiently far to cause them to engage the switch elements 7. After this carrier has been delivered to track 12, as it passes switch 25, its lugs 9 would clear the latter, being relatively nearer the track 12 than the lugs of the preceding carrier which was delivered to station B. Hence this second carrier will continue on down until it is delivered at station A.

In the present case the track 12 is not provided with any means for engaging the carriers descending said track with the cable, but operates substantially on the principle of the corresponding track in my said prior patent. However, even in this construction the plurali'zation of the switch parts in the manner shown, while a relatively simple change, nevertheless permits of the attainment of results which are out of the question in so far as my said previously patented apparatus'is concerned.

In view of the practicability of this modified construction, I hence do not desire to be limited to the provision of, for example, a plurality of sets of. switching lugs upon carriers, or like features since it is obvious that various equivalent instrumentalities may be employed.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is: c

1. In cable carrier apparatus, high-line tracks having stations therealong two of which are at different levels from each other, and drop-station apparatus, to serve said stations, comprising a track section common to said two stations and leading up therefrom to one of said highline tracks, means to propel carriers up said common track section from either of said stations, means to selectively remove carriers destined for either of said two stations, from the other of said high-line tracks, and means to selectively deliver the so removed carriers respectively to which ever of said two stations it is intended that said carriers shall deliver to.

2. In cable carrier apparatus, high-line tracks having stations therealong two of which are at difierentlevels from each other, and drop-station apparatus common to both of said two stations and having a substantially vertical track up which carriers may be despatched from either of said two stations to one of said high-line tracks, and means to propel said carriers up said vertical-track.

3. In cable carrier apparatus, high-line tracks having stations therealong two of which are at different levels from each other, and drop-station apparatus common to both of said two stations and having a substantially vertical track up which carriers may be despatched from either of said two stations to one of said high-line tracks, means to propel said carriers up said vertical track, and cross-over means to permit the passage of through carriers, en route along said main track past both of said stations.

4:. In cable carrler apparatus, high-line tracks havlng stations therealong one of which is a considerable distance below the level of said high-line tracks, a track leading down from one of said high-line tracks to said station, a propelling cable one limb of which extends down in proximity to said last mentioned track and which limb runs downwardly, means to remove a carrier destined for said low level station, from one of said high-line tracks and deliver said carrier to said track leading down to said. station, means to automatically connect the so delivered carrier to said descending limb of saidcable, and means to thereafter automatically free said carrier from said cable.

5. In cable carrier apparatus, a plurality of vertical tracks along which are disposed a plurality of stations one above another, a cable running adjacent said tracks vertically past said stations, means to engage carriers being despatched from any of said stations along one of said tracks, with said cable, and means to selectively deliver carriers to said stations from the other of said vertical tracks, said last mentioned means including a substantially vertical switch at at least one of said stations and an auxiliary track, leading from said switch, to which .carriers removed from said vertical track by said vertical switch, aredelivered.

6. In cable carrier apparatus, a plurality of vertical tracks along which are disposed a plurality of stations one above another, a cable running adjacent said tracks vertically past said stations, means to engage said cable with carriers being despatched from any of said stations along one of said tracks, and a chute extending to one of said last mentioned means from a point where the hand of the operator cannot normally be hit by a carrier en route past said station along one of said vertical tracks, said chute having provisions for directing a carrier passing downwardly therethrough by gravity from said point, into operative relationship to said last mentioned cable engaging means whereby to eli'ect the despatch of said carrier.

7. In cable carrier apparatus, a plurality of vertical tracks along which are disposed a plurality of stations one above another, a cable running adjacent said tracks vertically past said stations, means to engage carriers being despatched from any of said stations along one of said tracks, a chute to deliver carriers to at least one of said last mentioned means whereby a carrier may fall by gravity from a point where the hand of the operator cannot normally be hit by a carrier en route along one of said vertical tracks past said station, and means to hold a carrier being despatched down said chute, from movement therefrom into the one of said vertical tracks to which said chute is arranged to deliver, so long as there is a possibility of collision between said carrier in said chute and a through carrier en route past said station along said last mentioned vertical track.

8. In cable carrier apparatus, a vertical track along which are disposed a plurality of stations one above another, a substantially horizontal track to which said vertical track delivers carriers, a cable for propelling carriers along at least said horizontal track, a chute at at least one of said s'ta tions to deliver carriers therefrom into said Vertical track, means to automatically engage said chute-delivered carriers with said cable, and means to hold a carrier being despatched down said chute, from movement therefrom into said vertical track so long as there is a possibility of cOlliSiOn between said carrier being despatched and a through Carrier en route past said station along one of said tracks.

9. In cable carrier apparatus, two vertical tracks, a cable to propel carriers along at least one of said tracks, a station at an intermediate point along said tracks, a chute for delivering arriers frOm said station into the space between said two tracks, said chute extending out laterally from between said tracks, and means to automatically connect carriers delivered from said chute, with said cable.

10. In cable carrier apparatus, a highline track, a track leading up to said highline track from a plurality of stations disposed at different levels below said highline track, means to despatch carriers at each of said stations, means to propel through carriers en route along said highline track above all of said stations, means to prevent a collision between any carrier ascending said track leading up from said stations and a through carrier en route along said high-line track above said stations, and auxiliary means for preventing a collision between a carrier being despatched toward said high-line traclt; from an upper one of said stations and a carrier being despatched from one of said stations at a lower level than said one.

11. In cable carrier apparatus, carriers, high-line tracks having stations therealong two of which are at different levels from each other, and drop-station apparatus, to serve said stations, comprising a track section common to said two stations and leading up therefrom to one of said high-line tracks, means to propel carriers up said common track section from either of said stations, means to selectively remove carriers, destined for either of said two stations, from the other of said high-line tracks, and means to selectively deliver the so removed carriers respectively to whichever of said two stations it is intended that said carriers shall deliver to, said carriers being each provided with a plurality of lateral extensions some of which are engaged by said selective removing means and some of which are engaged by part of said selective delivering means.

12. In cable carrier apparatus, high-line tracks having stations therealong two of which are at difierent levels from each other and drop-station apparatus common to both of said two stations and having a substantially vertical track up which carriers may be despatched from either of said two stations to oneof said high-line tracks, means to propel said carriers up said vertical track, and means to selectively deliver carriers from another of said high-line tracks down to either of said stations.

13. In cable carrier apparatus, high-line tracks having stations therealong two of which are at different levels from each other, and drop-station apparatus common to both of said'two stations and having a substantially vertical track up which carriers may be despatched from either of said two stations to one of said high-line tracks, means to propel said carriers up said vertical track, and means to selectively deliver carriers from another of said high-line tracks down to either of said stations, said selective delivering means including two switches one of which is adjacent said last mentioned high-line track and adapted to selectively remove from said track carriers which are destined for either of said stations While permitting other carriers to pass on, the second of said switches co-aoting with the carriers so removed by said first switch to further separate said carriers into classes corresponding to said two stations.

14:. In cable carrier apparatus, high-line tracks having stations therealong two of which are at different levels from each other,

and drop-station apparatus common to both of said two stations and having a substantially vertical track up which carriers may be despatched from either of said two stations to one of said high-line tracks, means to propel said carriers up said vertical track, and means to selectively deliver carriers from another of said high-line tracks down to either of said stations, said selective delivering means including two switches one of: which is adjacent said last mentioned high-line track and adapted to selectively remove from said track carriers which are destined for either of said stations while permitting other carriers to pass on, the second oi said switches co-a'cting with the carriers so removed by said first switch to further separate said carriers into classes corresponding to said two stations, said apparatus further havingprovisions'to positively propel the carriers removed by said first mentioned switch while said carriers are being acted upon by said second switch. 15. In cable carrier apparatus, a track, carriers to travel along said track, a cable to propel said carriers, each of said carriers having means to operatively engage said cable, and means to free from said cable a second carrier which follows a first and preceding carrier, when said preceding carrier occupies a section of said track and said second and following carrier is moved into said track section by said cable, both of said carriers being upon the same track and traveling therealong in the same direction.

16. In cable carrier apparatus, a track, carriers to travel along said track, a cable to propel said carriers, each of said carriers having means to operatively engage said cable, and means to free from said cable a a second carrier which follows a first and preceding carrier, when said preceding carrier occupies a section of said track and sald second and following carrier is moved into said track section by said cable, both of said Copies of this patent may be obtained for fiver cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Yatents,

Washington, 'D. C. 

